Compact writing instrument

ABSTRACT

A compact writing instrument includes a barrel and a cap. A majority of a length of the barrel and a writing element carried thereby may be received by the cap when the barrel and the cap are placed in a stored position, providing a compact stored arrangement. The cap may be secured to the barrel in a writing arrangement that extends a length of the writing instrument significantly; for example, to a conventional writing instrument length. Engagement features of the cap and barrel may include steep threads that enable the cap to be assembled with and disassembled from the barrel with one rotation (360°) or less. A clip on the cap may include a closed end that defines a receptacle, with the closed end and receptacle extending beyond a corresponding end of the cap. In addition, the closed end and receptacle may extend partially over the corresponding end of the cap.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/161,644, filed Jan. 28, 2021 and titled COMPACT WRITING INSTRUMENT(“the '644 Application”), which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,279,166 onMar. 22, 2022. The '644 Application claims the benefit of priority tothe Jan. 28, 2020 filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/967,022, titled COMPACT WRITING INSTRUMENT (“the '022 ProvisionalApplication”), under to 35 U.S.C. § 119(e). The '644 Application is alsoa continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/867,551,filed on May 5, 2020 and titled COMPACT WRITING INSTRUMENT (“the '551Application”), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/976,810, filed on May 10, 2018 and titled COMPACT WRITINGINSTRUMENT, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,639,926 on May 5, 2020(“the '810 Application”), which claims the benefit of priority to theMay 10, 2017 filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/504,510, titled POCKET-KEYRING PEN, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)(“the 510 Provisional Application”). The entire disclosures of the '644Application, the '022 Provisional Application, the '551 Application, the'810 Application, and the '510 Provisional Application are herebyincorporated herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to writing instruments, includingcompact writing instruments. More specifically, this disclosure relatesto writing instruments with a barrel and a cap that may be securedtogether. Even more specifically, a clip may extend beyond an end of thecap; the clip may have a configuration that enables it to secure the pento thick objects, including keyrings, pants pockets, and the like.

SUMMARY

In various embodiments, a writing instrument according to thisdisclosure includes a barrel and a cap. The barrel includes a writingelement that may be used in a manner known in the art, as well as a bodythat carries the writing element. The body of the barrel includes afirst portion, from which the writing element protrudes. The firstportion may also be referred to herein as an “insertion portion” of thebody of the barrel. The writing element and/or the insertion portion mayhave a configuration that enables the writing element to be extendedoutwardly from and retracted toward the insertion portion of the body.An exterior surface of the insertion portion of the body of the barrelmay include one or more cap engagement features.

A second portion of the body of the barrel, which is located oppositefrom the insertion portion of the body of the barrel, may also bereferred to as an “external portion” of the barrel. An exterior surfaceof the external portion may also include one or more cap engagementfeatures. In some embodiments, the cap engagement feature(s) of theexterior surface of the external portion of the body of the barrel maycomprise threads, which may enable the external portion to snap into orotherwise engage the cap in a manner that elongates the writinginstrument.

The cap of the writing instrument includes a body and a clip. The bodyof the cap includes an open first end, which is continuous with aninterior of the body. The open first end of the body of the cap and thebody of the cap can receive the writing element and the insertionportion of the body of the barrel, from which the writing elementprotrudes. The interior of the body of the cap, at a location at oradjacent to the first end of the body of the cap, may include one ormore barrel engagement features. The barrel engagement feature(s) may beconfigured complementarily to the corresponding cap engagementfeature(s) of the exterior surface of the external portion of the bodyof the barrel to enable the cap to engage the barrel when the cap isassembled with the barrel.

A second end of the body of the cap may be closed. A closed end of theclip may be secured to the cap at or near the second end of the cap. Theclip extends along at least a portion of a length of the body of thecap. A gap between the clip and the body of the cap can receive anelement (e.g., a shirt pocket, a pants pocket, a retainer on a clipboardor folio, a legal pad, etc.). The clip may also include a receptacle ator near the second end of the cap that enables the clip to receive a keyring, a chain, or any other device that could be used to carry the capand the writing instrument of which the cap is a part.

In use, the cap may be disengaged from the barrel. The barrel may thenbe pulled from the cap, removing a writing element of the barrel of thewriting instrument from an interior of the cap. In some embodiments,including those where the writing instrument is a compact writinginstrument, the writing element may also be extended from a body of thebarrel (e.g., telescopically, rotationally, etc.) to extend the lengthof the barrel, potentially making it easier to use. Once the writingelement has been removed from the cap and optionally extended from thebody of the barrel of the writing instrument, it may be used in a mannerknown in the art (e.g., for writing, drawing, etc.). Alternatively, anend of the exterior portion of the body of the barrel may be insertedinto the opening of the cap and engage the cap, further extending alength of the writing instrument. Once use of the writing instrument iscomplete, the cap and the exterior portion of the body of the barrel maybe disassembled, a previously extended writing element, if any, may beretracted, and the writing element and the insertion portion of the bodyof the barrel from which the writing element protrudes may be introducedinto the interior of the cap. The cap may then engage the barrel,securing the cap in place on the barrel. The writing instrument may thenbe stored, for example, by introducing the clip over another object,such as a pocket, a key ring, a keychain, or the like.

Other aspects of the disclosed subject matter, as well as features andadvantages of various aspects of the disclosed subject matter, willbecome apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art throughconsideration of the ensuing disclosure, the accompanying drawings, andthe appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a compact writinginstrument with a cap and a barrel of the compact writing instrument ina stored arrangement, with the cap over a writing element carried by thebarrel;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the embodiment of compact writinginstrument shown in FIG. 1 with the cap and barrel in the storedarrangement and showing features of an embodiment of a clip of thecompact writing instrument;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment of compact writinginstrument shown in FIG. 1 showing the cap and barrel in a partiallyassembled/disassembled relationship with the cap over the writingelement carried by the barrel;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of compact writinginstrument shown in FIG. 1 with the cap and barrel in a lessassembled/further disassembled relationship and with the cap over thewriting element carried by the barrel;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment of compact writinginstrument shown in FIG. 1 with the cap and barrel in a disassembledrelationship.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the embodiment of compact writing instrumentshown in FIG. 1 showing the cap adjacent to an end of an exteriorportion of a body of the barrel in a disassembled relationship;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the embodiment of compact writing instrumentshown in FIG. 1 with the cap assembled with the end of the exteriorportion of the body of the barrel in an writing arrangement; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the embodiment of compact writinginstrument shown in FIG. 1 depicting the cap and barrel in the writingarrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-8 generally, various arrangements of an embodimentof a writing instrument 10 are shown. The writing instrument 10 includesa cap 20 and a barrel 40. The cap 20 includes a clip 30. The barrel 40includes a writing element 50.

The cap 20 of the writing instrument 10 comprises a body 22 with anelongated, somewhat cylindrical shape. A first end 24 of the body 22 isopen, while a second end 26 of the body 20 may be at least partiallyclosed. The first end 24 of the body 22 opens to and is continuous withan interior of the body 22. The open first end 24 and the interior ofthe body 22 have configurations that enable them to receive portions ofthe barrel 40, as described in further detail hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 4, an interior surface of the body 22 may carry one ormore barrel engagement features 25. The barrel engagement feature(s) 25may be located at or adjacent to the first end 24 of the body 22 of thecap 20. The barrel engagement feature(s) 25 may be configuredcomplementarily to corresponding cap engagement feature(s) 45 and 47 onan exterior surface of the body 42 of the barrel 40 to enable the cap 20to engage the barrel 40 when the cap 20 is assembled with the barrel 40.The barrel engagement features 25 may include, without limitation,recesses, protrusions, threads, interference fitting surfaces, or thelike. In a specific embodiment, the barrel engagement features 25 maycomprise a circumferentially arranged series of helical threads. Thethreads may comprise special steep threads that may be oriented about45° or less relative to an axis through the center of the length of thecap 20. Such threads may extend around an inner circumference of thebody 22 of the cap 20 a maximum of one turn (e.g., about one turn, abouthalf a turn, etc.). Such an arrangement of threads may enable the cap 20to engage a complementary barrel 40 in a partial turn (e.g., half aturn, a quarter of a turn, etc.), enabling the cap 20 to be secured toand removed from the barrel 40 more quickly and easily than withconventional threads.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1-8, the clip 30 may be secured to thebody 22 of the cap 20 at or near the second end 26 of the body 22. Theclip 30 may include a coupler 32, an upper, closed end 34 that defines areceptacle of the clip 30, an elongated element 36, and a free end 38 onan opposite end of the elongated element 36 from the closed end 34.

The coupler 32 secures the clip 30 to the cap 20 of the writinginstrument 10. In the embodiment depicted by FIGS. 1-8, the coupler 32comprises a ring that extends at least partially around thecircumference of the body 22 of the cap 20, near the second end 26 ofthe body 22. The closed end 34 extends from the coupler 32, away fromthe body 22 of the cap 20.

When the clip 30 is assembled with the body 22 of the cap 20, the closedend 34 of the clip 30 may be positioned adjacent to the second end 26 ofthe body 22. The closed end 34 may define a receptacle. The receptacleof the closed end 34 may have a shape and dimensions (e.g., a roundedshape, a teardrop shape, etc.) that enables the clip 30 to receive aring (e.g., a keyring, etc.), a chain (e.g., a keychain, a necklace,etc.), or any other device that could be used to carry the cap 20 andthe writing instrument 10 of which the cap 20 is a part. In someembodiments, the receptacle may engage a thick object, such as a keyring, a keychain, a pants pocket, or the like.

The closed end 34 of the clip 30 and the receptacle defined by theclosed end 34 may extend beyond the second end 26 of the body 22.Substantially all (e.g., an enlarged portion of the receptacle, aportion of the receptacle that receives another element, etc.) of thereceptacle of the closed end 34 may be located beyond the second end 26of the body 22. In some embodiments, the closed end 34 and itsreceptacle may extend over at least a portion of the second end 26 ofthe body 22 without protruding beyond an outer surface of the elongateelement 36 of the clip 30. Such arrangements may enable the clip 30, thecap 20, and the writing instrument 10 to hang freely from a ring, achain, or the like. In a specific embodiment, the closed end 34 of theclip 30 may extend about 0.15 inch (e.g., 0.18 inch, etc.) or morebeyond the second end 26 of the body 22. The receptacle of the closedend 34 may measure at least 0.10 inch across and at least 0.10 inch inlength with at least 0.10 inch of its length being located beyond thesecond end 26 of the body 22 of the cap 20. The closed end 34 of theclip 30 may also extend at least partially over the second end 26 of thebody 22.

The elongated element 36 of the clip 30 may extend from the closed end34 of the clip 30. When the clip 30 is attached to the body 22 of thecap 20, the elongated element 36 may extend along at least a portion ofa length of the body 22. A gap between the elongated element 36 and anouter surface of the body 22 may be sufficient to receive an element towhich the cap 20 and/or the writing instrument 10 is to be secured(e.g., a shirt pocket, a pants pocket (e.g., a pocket of denim jeans,etc.), a retainer on a clipboard or folio, a legal pad, etc.).

The free end 38 of the clip 30 may, when the clip 30 is attached to thebody 22 of the cap 20, protrude toward the body 22. Thus, the free end38 of the clip 30 may, due to the orientation and spring properties ofthe elongated element 36, engage an element introduced between the clip30 and the body 22 of the cap 20.

The clip 30 may be formed from any suitable material. As an example, theclip 30 may be formed from stainless steel, steel, brass, aluminum, orthe like. In some embodiments, a thickness of the features of the clip30 may be about double the thickness of the features of a conventionalmetal clip for a writing instrument. For example, the various featuresof the clip 30 may have thicknesses of about 0.5 mm or more (e.g., 0.5mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1.0 mm, etc.). The material andthickness of the clip 30 may provide it with sufficient strength andresilience to prevent it from breaking under stresses that would break aconventional metal clip for a writing instrument.

The barrel 40 of the writing instrument 10 includes a body 42 with anelongated, somewhat cylindrical shape. The body 42 has a first end 44and a second end 46. A boundary 43 about midway between the first end 44and the second end 46 may separate a first portion 42 a of the body 42from a second portion 42 b of the body 42, with the first end 44comprising an end of the first portion 42 a and the second end 46comprising an end of the second portion 42 b. In the stored arrangementof the cap 20 and barrel 40 depicted by FIGS. 1 and 2, the first portion42 a (not seen in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the body 42 of the barrel 40 hasbeen introduced into the interior of the body 22 of the cap 20; thus,the first portion 42 a of the body 42 of the barrel 40 may also bereferred to as an “insertion portion” of the body 42. In the storedarrangement, the second portion 42 b of the body 42 of the barrel 40extends somewhat beyond the first end 24 of the body 22 of the cap 20and, thus, remains outside of the cap 20; thus, the second portion 42 bof the body 42 of the barrel 40 may be referred to as an “externalportion” of the body 42.

The body 42 of the barrel 40 may include cap engagement features 45 and47 that may secure the cap 20 and the barrel 40 of the writinginstrument 10 in the stored arrangement seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 and in thewriting arrangement seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. More specifically, one ormore cap engagement features 45 that cooperate with (e.g., mutuallyengage, etc.) the barrel engagement feature(s) 25 within the interior ofthe body 22 of the cap 20 may be carried by the first portion 42 a ofthe body 42 of the barrel 40 to enable the cap 20 to be secured over thefirst portion 42 a of the body 42 of the barrel 40 in the storedarrangement. One or more cap engagement features 47 that cooperate with(e.g., mutually engage, etc.) the barrel engagement feature(s) 25 withinthe interior of the body 22 of the cap 20 may be carried by the secondportion 42 b of the body 42 of the barrel 40 to enable the cap 20 to besecured to the second portion 42 a of the body 42 of the barrel 40 inthe writing arrangement. The cap engagement features 45, 47 may include,without limitation, recesses, protrusions, threads, interference fittingsurfaces, or the like.

In a specific embodiment, the cap engagement features 45, 47 maycomprise a circumferentially arranged series of helical threads. Thethreads may comprise special steep threads that may be oriented about45° or less relative to an axis through the center of the length of thebarrel 40. Such threads may extend around an outer circumference of thebody 42 of the barrel 40 a maximum of one turn (e.g., about one turn,about half a turn, etc.). Such an arrangement of barrel engagementfeatures 25 and cap engagement features 45, 47 may enable the cap 20 tobe secured to the barrel 40 by one twist or less (e.g., a single twist,or 360°; a half twist, or 180°; etc.), enabling the cap 20 to be securedto and removed from the barrel 40 more quickly and easily than withconventional threads.

The writing element 50 extends into an interior of the body 42 throughthe first end 44 of the body 42 (e.g., into an interior of the firstportion 42 a of the body 42 and, optionally, into an interior of thesecond portion 42 b of the body 42) and, as seen in FIGS. 4-8, protrudesfrom the first end 44 of the body 42. The writing element 50 may besecured within the body 42 in any suitable manner known in the art. Forexample, the interior of the body 42 and the writing element 50 may havecomplementary configurations that enable the writing element 50 to beassembled with and disassembled from the body 42 to enable refillingand/or replacement of the writing element 50. As another example, one orboth of the writing element 50 and the interior of the body 42 may haveconfigurations that enable the writing element 50 to be extended fromand retracted toward, or collapsed relative to, the body 42 of thebarrel 40 (e.g., they may include features that enable the writingelement 50 to telescope relative to the body 42; they may includefeatures that enable the writing element 50 to be rotatably extendedfrom and retracted toward the body 42, etc.). When the writing element50 is in an extended orientation relative to the body 42, the barrel 40may have a length of about 3½ inches or more (e.g., 3½ inches, 3¾inches, 3.9 inches, 4 inches, etc.).

The writing element 50 may comprise any suitable writing instrumentknown in the art (e.g., a pen, a mechanical pencil, etc.) and may beused in a manner known in the art. The writing element 50 itself maycomprise a pen (e.g., a ball point pen, a gel pen, a fountain pen,etc.), a mechanical pencil, a stylus (for writing on a display screen(e.g., a touch-sensitive display screen, etc.) or an electronic device,or any other suitable type of writing instrument. In a specific, butnonlimiting embodiment, the writing element 50 may be capable ofcarrying a pressurized pen refill. The pressurized pen refill may have alength as short as two inches or less.

In a specific embodiment of writing instrument 10 according to thisdisclosure, when the cap 20 and the barrel 40 are in the storedrelationship shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the total length of the writinginstrument 10 may be about 3 inches (e.g., 3.03 inches), with the totallength of the assembled cap 20 and barrel 40 being about 2.85 inches andthe closed end 34 of the clip 30 extending about 0.15 inch (e.g., 0.18inch) beyond the second end 26 of the body 22 of the cap 20. When such awriting instrument 10 is disassembled from the stored arrangement, asshown in FIGS. 3-5 and rearranged into the writing arrangement, as shownin FIGS. 6 and 7, its length may be increased to about 4½ inches or more(e.g., 4½ inches, 4% inches, 5 inches, 5¼ inches, 5.36 inches, 5½inches, 5% inches, 6 inches, even longer in embodiments where thewriting element 50 is extendable from the barrel 40, etc.). Thus, whenremoved from its stored arrangement and placed in its writingarrangement, a writing instrument 10 according to this disclosure may betransitioned from a compact, readily storable length to a lengthsuitable or even desirable for writing.

Referring still to FIGS. 1-8, a method of using such a writinginstrument 10 may include disengaging the cap 20 from the barrel 40. Asshown in FIGS. 3-5, the barrel 40 may then be pulled from the cap 20,removing a writing element 50 of the barrel 40 from an interior of thecap 20. In some embodiments, including those where the writinginstrument 10 is a compact writing instrument, the writing element 50may also be extended from a body 42 of the barrel 40 (e.g.,telescopically, rotationally, etc.) to extend the length of the barrel40, potentially making it easier to use. Once the writing element 50 hasbeen removed from the cap 20 and optionally extended from the body 42 ofthe barrel 40, it may be used in a manner known in the art (e.g., forwriting, drawing, etc.). Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, thesecond end 46 of the second portion 42 b of the body 42 of the barrel 40may be inserted into the opening of the cap 20 and engage the cap 20,further extending a length of the writing instrument 10 for use inwriting, as shown in FIG. 8.

Once use of the writing instrument 10 is complete, the cap 20 and thesecond portion 42 b of the body 42 of the barrel 40 may be disassembled,as shown in FIG. 6, a previously extended writing element 50, if any,may be retracted, and the writing element 50 and the first portion 42 aof the body 42 of the barrel 40 from which the writing element 50protrudes may be introduced into the interior of the cap 20, as shown inFIGS. 3-5. The cap 20 may then engage the barrel 40, securing the cap 20in place on the barrel 40, as illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2. The writinginstrument 10 may then be stored, for example, by introducing the clip30 over another object, such as a pocket, a ring, a chain, or the like.

Although the foregoing description sets forth many specifics, theseshould not be construed as limiting the scope of any of the claims, butmerely as providing illustrations of some embodiments and variations ofelements or features of the disclosed subject matter. Other embodimentsof the disclosed subject matter may be devised which do not depart fromthe spirit or scope of any of the claims. Features from differentembodiments may be employed in combination. Accordingly, the scope ofeach claim is limited only by its plain language and the legalequivalents thereto.

What is claimed:
 1. A writing instrument, including: a barrel with: awriting element; a body including: a first portion from which thewriting element protrudes, an exterior surface of the first portionincluding a cap engagement feature; and a second portion opposite fromthe first portion, an exterior surface of the second portion includinganother cap engagement feature; and a cap with: a body including a sidesurface, a first end, an interior, and a second end, the first endopening to the interior, the first end and the interior capable ofreceiving the writing element and the first portion of the body of thebarrel to place the cap and the barrel in an assembled relationship, aninterior surface of the body of the cap including a barrel engagementfeature that engages the cap engagement feature and the another capengagement feature of the body of the barrel; and a clip including anend secured in place to or over the side surface of the body of the cap,the clip including an inner element extending over a portion of the sidesurface of the body of the cap toward the second end of the body of thecap, bending back over itself to define a closed end, and including anouter element extending from the closed end over the inner elementtoward the first end of the body and terminating at a free end, theenlarged closed end including a laterally protruding portion defining anenlarged receptacle.
 2. The writing instrument of claim 1, wherein thewriting element is capable of telescoping relative to the body of thebarrel.
 3. The writing instrument of claim 1, wherein the cap engagementfeature, the another cap engagement feature, and the barrel engagementfeature comprise complementary threads arranged to enable the cap to besecured to the barrel in the assembled relationship by rotating the capor the barrel 360° or less.
 4. The writing instrument of claim 1,wherein the cap engagement feature, the another cap engagement feature,and the barrel engagement feature comprise complementary threadsarranged to enable the cap to be secured to the barrel in the assembledrelationship by rotating the cap or the barrel 180° or less.
 5. Thewriting instrument of claim 1, wherein the cap engagement featurecomprises a series of helical threads arranged parallel to one another,each helical thread of the series of helical threads of the capengagement feature of the barrel oriented at most 45° relative to anaxis through a center of a length of the barrel or the cap and extendingno more than once around a circumference of the exterior surface of thesecond portion of the body of the barrel.
 6. The writing instrument ofclaim 1, wherein the clip and a shape and dimensions of the enlargedreceptacle of the enlarged closed end enable the enlarged closedreceptacle to receive and securely retain a keyring.
 7. A writinginstrument, including: a barrel with: a writing element; and a bodycarrying the writing element; a cap with: a body including a sidesurface, a first end, an interior, and a second end, the first endopening to the interior, the first end and the interior capable ofreceiving the writing element and the body of the barrel to place thecap and the barrel in a stored arrangement; and a clip including an endsecured in place over the side surface of the body of the cap, extendingover a portion of the side surface of the body of the cap toward thesecond end of the body of the cap, bending back over itself andprotruding laterally to define an enlarged closed end with an enlargedreceptacle, and extending from the enlarged closed end toward the firstend of the body of the cap to define an elongated element thatterminates at a free end.
 8. The writing instrument of claim 7, whereinthe clip and a shape and dimensions of the enlarged receptacle of theenlarged closed end enable the enlarged closed receptacle to receive andsecurely retain a keyring.